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This Newsletter At-A-Glance
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A big, big, and very big thank you to my newsletter subscribers. I truly appreciate you being here, and spreading the word about my content. I wanted to give you a heads up on future plans to deliver even more value to you.
I am brainstorming exclusive content that will be shared with my email subscribers only. Right now, I am not sure what that will be. One day I was thinking of an exclusive video series, and the next day it was an exclusive podcast series. Tomorrow, it may be something else. It was not until just now that I figured I should just ask you. I want “The Recruiting Life” to be the type of newsletter you look forward to reading every week and I need your help to do that. So, let me know the type of content you find irresistible.
Click here to fill out my reader survey. It should take 1-minute to complete. (Or 90 seconds, if you need to take your time.)
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Last week, I posed the question, “What will it take for you to return to the office on a daily basis?” and your overwhelming response was SHOW ME THE MONEY!
In retrospect, I should have added the option of “Nothing will get me back to the office everyday” because most of the comments I received were along those lines.
Hmm… Let us now have a silent prayer for the realtors who lease office space and their customers who paid their rent in advance. Amen.
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In what feels like an overnight process, ChatGPT has captured the imagination, adulation and dread of the general public. Its impact on (almost) every industry has people wondering the fate of their livelihoods. Recruiting is no exception. ChatGPT can facilitate several tasks routine to the recruitment process: screening resumes, screening candidates, email outreach, interview questions ideation and customizing job descriptions; just to name a few tasks it can accomplish in seconds.
The possibilities are endless and they raise an important concern for recruiters: Will ChatGPT eventually replace me? The short answer is “no.” ChatGPT will not take your recruiting job away. However, someone using ChatGPT might. So, it is in your best interest to adapt. Now begins my long answer. Are you familiar with the book, “Who moved my cheese?”
“Who Moved My Cheese?” is the title of a book by Dr. Spencer Johnson. The book is a parable about change, and it uses the story of two mice and two little people (called “littlepeople”) who live in a maze to illustrate the different ways that people deal with change.
In the story, the mice and littlepeople search for cheese in the maze, and when they find it, they become comfortable and complacent. However, one day the cheese disappears, and the characters must adapt to the change and find new cheese.
The title “Who Moved My Cheese?” is a metaphor for the unexpected changes that occur in life, and how people react to those changes. It encourages readers to embrace change and to be proactive in finding new opportunities rather than remaining stuck in old habits and ways of thinking. The book has become a popular management and self-help book, and the phrase “Who Moved My Cheese?” has become a common reference to the need to adapt to change.
ChatGPT represents a “Who moved my cheese?” moment. There have been several “cheesy” moments where new technologies have made an impact but not all of them ended up in job displacement. More often than not, the end result was new job creation and/or job transformation. Here are a few examples of what I mean.
ATMs
While the introduction of ATMs was initially seen as a potential threat to bank teller jobs, it did not ultimately lead to widespread displacement of workers. Instead, the use of ATMs has changed the nature of the work that bank tellers do.
Before the widespread adoption of ATMs, bank tellers were responsible for a range of tasks, including cash handling, check processing, and customer service. With the introduction of ATMs, many routine cash-handling tasks were automated, freeing up tellers to focus on more complex tasks such as customer service and sales.
As a result, while the number of bank tellers has declined somewhat since the introduction of ATMs, it has not been as drastic as some initially predicted. Moreover, many bank tellers have been retrained to perform other functions within the banking industry, such as loan processing, financial advising, and other customer-facing roles that require a higher degree of expertise.
ONLINE SHOPPING
The growth of online shopping has certainly changed the retail industry, but it has not led to the widespread displacement of workers. While some traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have closed stores or gone out of business due to increased competition from online retailers, many others have adapted by integrating online sales channels with their physical stores.
Moreover, the rise of e-commerce has also created new jobs in areas such as digital marketing, e-commerce management, and logistics. These jobs require skills such as data analysis, online advertising, and inventory management, and have helped to offset some of the job losses in traditional retail.
It is also worth noting that many online retailers still require significant human input to operate successfully. For example, customer service representatives are often needed to help resolve issues with orders or answer customer questions, while warehouse workers are needed to pack and ship orders.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The rise of social media has certainly had an impact on the newspaper industry, but it has not led to its complete demise. While print newspaper circulation has declined significantly over the past few decades, many newspapers have adapted to the changing media landscape by developing digital editions and engaging with readers on social media platforms.
Moreover, the growth of digital media has also created new opportunities for journalists, editors, and other media professionals. Online media outlets, blogs, and social media platforms have created new avenues for journalists to reach audiences and report on important issues, while digital media companies have emerged to provide new sources of revenue for media organizations.
Do you see the pattern? New technology may spark some displacement, but not decimation. The scope of the job changes and workers adapt. Companies make changes in how they do business, but humans are still needed. I have full confidence that such will be the case with the recruiting industry. Yes, ChatGPT will spark changes in how the work is done. Yes, the company will make changes in order to fully leverage the advantages of the technology. Some workers will not adapt and leave the industry. However, the industry itself will not be decimated into oblivion. And to accent my point further, consider this, human interaction is an essential component of many industries.
While machines can perform certain tasks with high efficiency and accuracy, such as responding to customer inquiries or processing transactions, they lack the ability to fully understand human emotions and respond appropriately in all situations. This is particularly true in complex or emotionally charged situations, where human judgment and empathy are critical for successful interaction. Negotiating with hiring managers over candidate requirements and/or persuading candidates to consider opportunities when they are already gainfully employed requires an ability to read people and change approaches as necessary. And doing this in the atmosphere of a shifting landscape driven by economic uncertainties, company mandates and expectations from all concerned is unprogrammable. There are too many factors and each situation changes because every human being is different in personality, needs and desires.
Something else to think about, recruiters have an instinctive eye for talent. They can read between the lines of a resume and make reasonable assumptions of cultural fit and unique opportunities for placing someone who might be open to changing careers by utilizing their skillsets in a new industry. Moreover, they may take a chance encounter at an event and transform it into a hire with casual conversation on unrelated topics.
Recruiters are also brand advocates, monitoring what is said about the employer they represent and responding to feedback found online and during the interview process. They are also careful to represent themselves as employer brand agents, showcasing their involvement in company events and community involvement on their social media; for potential candidates to find.
Although the emergence of ChatGPT has raised concerns about job displacement in the recruiting industry, it is unlikely to completely replace recruiters. As with other technologies, the introduction of ChatGPT will spark changes in the industry, but it will not lead to its utter destruction. Workers will adapt to the changes, and the industry itself will evolve. Human interaction remains an essential component of the recruiting industry, and ChatGPT cannot fully replace the empathy and judgment required in complex or emotionally charged situations. Therefore, recruiters can remain confident in their job security, as long as they are willing to adapt and embrace the changes brought about by ChatGPT and whatever else new technology appears on the horizon.
Just my two cents. Did I miss a reason why recruiters are irreplaceable? Reply and let me know.
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Until next time, see you in the funny papers.
Jim
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